Ezra 1
1 In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, to fulfil the word of Yahweh from the mouth of Jeremiah, Yahweh aroused the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia, and he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, moreover also in writing, saying:
During the first year that Cyrus ruled [the] Persian [Empire], he did something that fulfilled what Jeremiah had prophesied. Yahweh motivated Cyrus to write this message, and then Cyrus sent this message throughout his empire:
2 Thus, saith Cyrus, king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth, hath Yahweh God of the heavens, given to me, —and, he himself, hath laid charge upon me, to build for him a house, in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
“I, King Cyrus, who rule [the] Persian [Empire], declare this: 'Yahweh, the God [who is in/rules] from heaven, has caused me to become the ruler of all the kingdoms [that I know about] on the earth. And he has appointed me [to enable his people] to build a temple for him in Jerusalem, in Judah [land].
3 Who is there among you of all his people? His God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, —and build the house of Yahweh God of Israel, (he, is God!) which is in Jerusalem;
All you people who belong to God may go up to Jerusalem to rebuild this temple for Yahweh, the God who lives in Jerusalem, the God [who is worshiped by you] Israeli people. I desire/hope that your God will be with you [and help those who go there].
4 And, whosoever is left, of all the places where he doth sojourn, let the men of his place uphold him, with silver and with gold, and with goods and with beasts, —along with a voluntary offering for the house of God, which is in Jerusalem.
Those people who are in places where Israelis are living, whose ancestors were exiled here, should contribute silver and gold to those who go. They should also give them supplies [that they will need for the journey to Jerusalem]. They should also give them some livestock, and gifts of money to help build the temple of God in Jerusalem.'”
5 Then arose the ancestral chiefs of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, —even every one whose spirit God had aroused, to go up to build the house of Yahweh, which was in Jerusalem;
Then God motivated some of the priests and (Levites/men who did work in the temple) and some of the leaders of the tribes that were descended from Judah and Benjamin to return to Jerusalem. Those whom God motivated got ready to return to Jerusalem and build the temple for Yahweh there.
6 and, all they who were round about them, strengthened their hands, with utensils of silver, with gold with goods and with beasts, and with precious things, —besides any thing he had volunteered.
All of their neighbors helped them by giving them things made of silver and things made of gold, and supplies for the journey, and livestock. They also gave them other valuable gifts, and also gave them money [to buy things for building the temple].
7 And, King Cyrus, brought forth the utensils of the house of Yahweh, —which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth from Jerusalem, and put in the house of his gods: —
King Cyrus brought out the valuable things that King Nebuchadnezzar’s [soldiers] had taken from the temple of Yahweh in Jerusalem and put in the temple of Nebuchadnezzar’s gods [in Babylon].
8 yea Cyrus king of Persia brought them forth, by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, —and numbered them unto Sheshbazzar, a leader of Judah.
Cyrus commanded Mithredath, the treasurer of [the] Persian [Empire], to count all these items and then give them to Sheshbazzar, the leader of [the group that was going to return to] Judah.
9 And, these, were the numbers of them, —basins of gold, thirty, basins of silver, a thousand, knives, twenty-nine;
This is a list of the items that Cyrus donated: 30 large gold dishes 1,000 large silver dishes 29 silver (censers/incense burning pans)
10 bowls of gold, thirty, bowls of silver, of a secondary sort, four hundred and ten, —other utensils, a thousand.
30 gold bowls 410 silver bowls 1,000 other items.
11 All the utensils, in gold and silver, were five thousand and four hundred, —the whole, did Sheshbazzar bring up with the upbringing of the exile, out of Babylon unto Jerusalem.
All together, there were 5,400 items made of silver or gold, that [were given to] Sheshbazzar [to] take with him when he and the others returned to Jerusalem.
